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[simply-mira]

𝐏𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐄 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖: 𝐌𝐈𝐑𝐀 𝐆𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐌

mira was expecting this police interview to be quick and painless. she had nothing to hide, because she hadn't really known much about that night to begin with. in high school she was often on the outskirts of everything. even the newspaper, her fellow writers did not know her identity. just that someone was writing a gossip column and that it was somehow appearing in every issue. so when the cop came into the interrogation room and gave her a polite smile, she knew they also were aware that this was merely a formality. they weren't expecting her to know anything.

"where were you on the night of christopher wilder’s disappearance?"

the woman asked, bored and like she was reading from a transcript. so... they were asking these questions to everyone, then? that's how it seemed. "i was at dante's party, like all of my other classmates." she answered, deciding not to elaborate. if they had follow up questions they would ask it, but she didn't have anything else to give.

"when was the last time you saw christopher?"

she thought for only a moment. the truth was, during the party it felt like christopher was everywhere and nowhere. she could hear his voice from a nearby room, but did she ever really see his face? maybe once or twice in passing, but it's not like they were close. they didn't speak or have any real connection. in fact, if it weren't for the fact that chris went missing all those years ago, mira might not actually have remembered much of chris at all. "uh... maybe around 10:30? with all of his jock friends in the living room? we weren't anything more than acquaintances, so i think we just drifted around each other at the party. didn't really interact." she added one more thing before they moved on. "i didn't follow the kids out to the lake. the ones that went there. that was when i went home."

"what was your relationship with christopher?"

she pursed her lips and gave them a half hearted shrug. "like I said, kinda just went to school together. we didn't have very many overlapping interests, and i didn't have a lot of friends back then... so. i think maybe we sat next to each other in class... twice in the four years? sorry i can't be more help."

clearly the cop agreed. either mira wasn't helpful or she wasn't interesting enough to keep interviewing. after those three questions, she was good to go home. so she did.

[simply-mira]

Coffee was a godsend when you worked as long as Mira did, it's how she made it through the first few hours of her shift. He shift didn't start for about thirty minutes, and was close, so she was taking a breather outside before the chaos of the day. Surprised to hear a familiar voice, Mira turned to see the seat that was once empty was now occupied. "Oh, no, not yet. I go in tomorrow. I'm guessing you did?"

tagging: @classcursestarters. location: outdoor, public bench.

       "did you ..."  pink ballerina tipped  fingernails tap against the plastic of her to-go cup of  strawberry-lavendar matcha,  stella's current hyperfixtation of the season,  doe eyes widening as she leans towards the other,  her southern drawl dropping into a  whisper  drifting in the wind.    "did you, by any chance, have an odd interaction with law enforcement recently?" 

[simply-mira]

"michael, everything you do has always surprised me." and yet it hadn't. michael's decisions often felt rash or sporadic, but at the end of the day, mira was so used to him being so fucking random that she knew to be on her toes around him. not to really expect... anything. but she was glad he had no intention to lead the church, power hungry men of god had never been good for society, and she was scared what someone like michael would do with all that power. feeling her skin crawling ever since his hand found her shoulder, the dark haired woman, decided she had enough of this interaction. enough dancing around each other and saying too much or too little. the fact of the matter was that no one was going to be leaving lincoln city for at least a few weeks, and she couldn't help but think that the police investigations were just the start of this. she'd have plenty more interactions with michael, to try to sus out what he was really doing and his intentions. "well, i just came to pick up a book. and i found it," she said, holding up the book she had found moments before running into him. "and i want to go home and read it... so. see you around, michael." try not to get crushed under your own ego.

  whether  god  had  spoken  to  him  or  not  ,  he  carried  himself  as  if  he  was  the  chosen  one  ,  hand  picked  by  their  holy  father  to  speak  .  out  in  the  world  ,  it  worked  well  for  him  .  the  love  and  adoration  only  continued  to  grow  since  his  high  school  days  ,  without  the  fuel  of  illicit  substances  ,  he  could  truly  appreciate  the  attention  he  was  getting  …  file  and  remember  it  .  he  didn't  have  any  animosity  to  mira  ,  the  questions  that  were  coming  not  causing  a  shift  in  his  attitude  as  he  continued  with  his  angelic  outer  shell  .  it  was  a  shame  that  she  didn't  lean  into  it  ,  didn't  spend  time  trying  to  get  to  know  michael  more  because  he  truly  would  have  been  full  of  praise  and  flattery  .  it  was  hard  to  understand  why  somebody  wouldn't  want  to  be  close  to  that  ,  close  to  him  ,  close  to  god  .  "  i'm  sure  it  is  ,  you're  doing  an  amazing  job  ,  for  the  greater  good  ,  continued  encouragement  ,  his  smile  tilted  at  the  edges  ,  inviting  and  sweet  .  he  lets  out  a  small  laugh  at  the  question  ,  a  shake  of  the  head  ,  "  no  .  i  think  that  mr  gordon  does  a  fantastic  job  of  leading  the  church  ,  "  and  he  wasn't  too  sure  if  that  was  true  or  if  he  was  just  another  power  parasite  as  many  turned  out  to  be  but  he  was  definitely  going  to  back  him  up  .  he  didn't  know  the  man  enough  to  want  to  preach  about  the  opposite  .  "  i  never  really  dreamed  of  leading  a  church  ,  it's  enough  for  me  to  set  a  good  example  for  other  young  people  and  stand  side  by  side  with  those  who  were  called  to  that  type  of  role  ,  "  now  ,  that's  true  .  michael  doesn't  want  to  lead  ,  with  great  power  comes  a  lot  more  criticism  and  people  focusing  more  on  your  every  move  .  he  wanted  to  stay  just  to  the  left  ,  where  all  the  positivity  ,  compliments  and  attention  laid  but  if  he  made  a  wrong  move  ,  there  was  still  room  for  forgiveness  and  love  .  "  does  that  surprise  you  ?  "  

[simply-mira]

END.

she  wasn't  sure  if  mira  didn't  understand  what  she  meant  or  was  just  playing  dumb  like  the  rest  of  their  classmates  but  cherry  was  sure  somebody  would  crack  .  between  the  insane  people  and  the  just  stupid  ,  there  was  no  doubt  that  someone  would  let  something  slip  and  they'd  all  be  trying  to  dig  their  way  out  .  (  that  wasn't  even  considering  most  people  were  ready  to  throw  each  other  under  the  bus  )  .  "  not  a  good  mindset  ,  that's  for  sure  ,  "  she  simply  responds  as  she  grabs  the  last  few  things  from  the  farmers  market  and  dumps  them  in  her  bag  .  "  anyway  ,  i  have  to  go  and  stand  in  the  kitchen  while  my  mom  makes  dinner  ,  "  with  a  fake  smile  ,  "  stay  out  of  trouble  ,  mira  .  if  we  go  down  we  go  together  ,  or  whatever  the  chainsmokers  said  ,  "  spoken  over  her  shoulder  as  she  takes  off  .  

[simply-mira]

"You could've easily denied the invitation." She explained, wondering what happened if any of her classmates hadn't come home for the alumni event. Did the police reach out to them and request they return back to Lincoln City ASAP? Or did those lucky few get to stay home in blissful ignorance? If only Mira didn't live in Lincoln City, she would've had her answer.

Letting out a soft sigh and making a show of thinking over her response, it wasn't as exciting as Mira was making it out to be. "Good, working at the hospital," she motioned down at the black scrubs she was wearing, as if she almost didn't need to to say her job out loud for it to be obvious. "Going to therapy. I have a cat now, which I think is the highlight."

She brought the paper bag holding her prescription up to her mouth to bite on it, holding it between her teeth as she quickly swept her long dark hair up in a messy bun. "What about you? What's going on with you?"

Rhys rests his forehead against his arm that's resting on the nearest surface. There's music softly playing through his earbuds to tune out the noise around him. He has a massive headache and the last thing he wants to do is deal with people around him. He taps his foot against the floor to the beat of the music, thinking about how he could have made this song slap better. It's one of his favorite things to do, pick music apart and fix it later.

He lifts his head up to see Mira, realizing he's not in a typical spot. It's not some cafe or diner. It's a store where people pick up pills. He lifts his hand up to pluck the earbud out of his ear. He coughs, waiting to catch her attention and when he does, the biggest smile curves his features. "In the flesh," he keeps his gaze on her as she approaches him.

"Yeah, I don't think we were given much of a choice." He thinks about the Facebook post on a daily, sometimes he wishes he ignored it. What would have happened? Would this person have come and killed him for not listening? What was the point? There were a million questions that constantly ran through Rhys head. "How have you been?"

@simply-mira

[simply-mira]

well now mira definitely regretted the fact that she had missed the alumni event. it hadn't been so long since that cherry could have fan into multiple people to put a sour taste in her mouth, so mira was betting whatever or whoever was the cause had been during the event or the subsequential lockdown after. against, she didn't comment. she just let out a soft hum as she contemplated her thoughts. "make a confession?" what kind of confession could be made, unless cherry was insinuating that someone had something to do with chris's disappearance? unless she was referencing the god awful dare box. either way, mira was sure any new information would be good for the cops and she wondered if anyone's lips had loosened "its been ten years. who knows what mindset everyone is in." or how stable they were.

had  she  ran  into  someone  that  left  a  bad  taste  in  her  mouth  ?  she  wasn't  the  type  of  person  to  hold  back  from  saying  what  was  really  on  her  mind  but  she  was  also  guarded  .  there  were  parts  of  her  that  were  always  held  back  because  she  didn't  want  to  seem  weak  ,  like  a  cry  baby  .  she  was  just  an  overgrown  little  girl  who  had  never  learned  how  to  process  things  the  right  way  .  "  not  just  one  ,  "  she  settles  on  admitting  ,  the  sea  of  faces  flowing  back  into  town  something  that  she  didn't  enjoy  even  if  she  pretended  that  she  was  cool  with  being  angry  ,  torn  up  .  in  a  way  ,  at  least  it  was  some  emotion  rather  than  the  way  everything  had  blended  into  the  same  melancholy  over  the  last  few  years  especially  .  "  i'm  sure  they'll  fly  by  …  too  many  big  reps  on  the  line  ,  "  not  her  .  never  her  .  "  unless  someone  decides  to  make  a  confession  …  but  i've  never  known  anyone  around  here  to  grow  a  conscience  .  "  that  was  the  main  thing  that  had  ended  up  binding  them  together  in  their  false  sense  of  security  .

[simply-mira]

Anya Chalotra as Yennefer of Vengerberg The Witcher Season 3 Episode 4

[simply-mira]

it was a scoff and an eye roll that answered michael. honestly, she wasn't as surprised this was the route he had followed after what she had known and seen of michael in high school. he had always wanted to be loved and fawned over, what better way to do that then by becoming a member of the church? not only were people congregating to listen to you speak, they held you in such high regard it was almost as if you were god himself. isn't that was people believed, a priest was who god spoke to? she scoffed once more, this time at her thoughts. eyes narrowing at his comment, because everything that came out of his mouth felt passive aggressive, she just said, "it's very rewarding." humming as she listened to him, wanting to call bullshit on it all, mira's head fell to the side as she continued to look him over. what was his goal? that's what she couldn't figure out. surely the attention and trust people put in him wasn't enough to keep this up. she doubted he found being a priest gratifing. "so whats next? are you planning on moving back to lincoln city to take over as head of the church?"

it  was  masterful  ,  there  was  no  flaw  to  his  performance  .  sometimes  when  you  acted  for  long  enough  ,  you  forgot  that  there  was  any  other  way  to  be  .  his  persona  was  curated  ,  beautiful  ,  graceful  …  it  was  near  impossible  to  trigger  any  other  sign  of  life  ,  pressure  points  not  reactive  .  (  even  his  parents  might  have  struggled  to  recognise  their  once  unruly  son  )  .  "  someone  has  to  be  holding  all  these  souls  in  their  prayers  ,  "  immediate  response  ,  not  downplaying  her  role  in  the  saving  of  lives  although  he  didn't  ,  in  all  honesty  ,  know  what  exactly  she  did  do  .  "  it's  nice  that  you  have  a  job  that  helps  others  …  it  really  shows  the  quality  of  your  heart  ,  "  compliments  with  ease  ,  not  really  picking  up  on  the  touch  subject  because  he  had  always  been  tactile  ,  nothing  changing  with  his  new  disposition  .  he  didn't  attempt  to  reach  out  again  but  warmth  still  buzzed  from  his  features  as  his  fingertips  brushed  across  the  cross  that  was  worn  around  his  neck  .  he  leans  back  ,  "  apologies  ,  "  marked  and  quick  resolution  .  his  thumb  is  brushing  over  the  indents  of  the  silver  ring  on  his  index  finger  ,  wondering  if  she  is  waiting  for  some  massive  admittance  ,  "  i  woke  up  one  day  and  realised  that  something  was  missing  from  my  life  …  that  the  party  was  over  and  nothing  had  came  out  of  it  .  i  spent  a  few  weeks  wondering  what  to  do  next  ,  coming  down  from  everything  i'd  pumped  into  my  body  since  graduation  …  and  then  i  realised  that  life  has  so  mean  something  greater  for  us  all  .  there's  something  intrinsically  linking  us  all  together  ,  humanity  and  faith  .  i  was  guided  to  find  it  at  just  the  right  time  to  stop  me  from  falling  foul  to  my  own  sinful  path  .  "

[simply-mira]

Do you want to tell the truth?

About what, exactly?

[simply-mira]

what was your first thought when the police said they'd found something of chris'?

honestly? that the cops seem pretty incompetent if it took them ten years to find anything that belonged to chris.

[simply-mira]

sometime's mira's days were long, and exhausting, and could feel like she didn't have a moment to think. today was one of those days. and when that happened, she often found herself decompressing after work at the same restaurant, sitting at the bar with a glass of wine and some food in front of her. so that had been the plan. she parked her car and began to walk towards the entrance, and then saw a familiar face coming the opposite way. "tired, how's my favorite bartender?" she answered his question with an ease, already debating going somewhere else for the night if zeppelin was off. brows raising at his question, because they had never spent time outside of the confines of that building, mira debated her answer for a full minute. she wasn't lying, she was tired. she had just come off at fourteen hour shift... but the spur of the moment idea seemed fun. "that sounds like an ominous invite, where are we going?" she asked, her answer given in her own question.

𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐝 , @simply-mira .

               getting  out  of  work  ,  zeppelin  grabbed  his  things  and  exited  the  restaurant  .  a  deep  breath  escaping  his  lips  as  he  stood  out  in  the  back  ,  the  𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄  and  𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒  being  something  somewhat  relaxing  for  the  split  second  as  he  stood  there  .  finally  ,  he  pulled  his  keys  out  of  his  pocket  and  started  to  move  towards  the  parking  lot  .  it  was  then  that  he  saw  the  familiar  face  ,  a  smile  pulling  at  the  corners  of  his  lips  .          ❛     how's  my  favorite  customer  ?     ❜          he  teased  before  looking  over  at  his  car  and  then  back  at  the  girl  .         ❛      you  wanna  go  somewhere  with  me  ?     ❜          getting  out  of  there  with  someone  he  𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐔𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐋𝐘  liked  sounding  like  a  great  idea  in  that  moment  .

[simply-mira]

mira tried to keep her initial response to cherry's comment to herself. she didn't want her thoughts and ideas to be known by everyone, and so she had learned over the years to try to not react to the things people around her were saying. because if she pursed her lips and raised her brows in surprise and entertainment, maybe cherry wouldn't be so vocal next time. "it feels like you..." are projecting? no, can't say that. "ran into someone that left a bad taste in your mouth." there, that was vague enough. but not untrue. if cherry was talking about how she never wanted to see anyone that left again, that would probably be because of someone coming home, right? "depends on how quick these police interviews go, right?" knowing how slow the police could be at times, mira wouldn't be shocked if these interviews took at least a month. "have you been called into the station yet?"

she  might  have  sensed  there  was  something  up  with  mira  if  she  cared  but  cherry  was  far  too  self  involved  ,  focused  only  on  how  things  had  affected  her  .  the  returned  question  almost  makes  her  scoff  but  managing  to  stay  composed  ,  she  offers  a  response  that  says  it  all  ,  "  i  would  have  died  happy  if  i  never  saw  a  single  soul  that  came  back  again  ,  "  but  that  wasn't  the  truth  ,  cherry  would  never  have  died  happy  because  she  was  too  busy  feeling  sorry  for  herself  .  there  were  a  lot  of  people  she  had  once  been  close  to  that  were  filtering  back  into  her  life  and  it  was  an  unfortunate  combination  of  her  own  stubbornness  and  a  feeling  of  betrayal  that  kept  her  fuelled  with  the  wish  that  they'd  never  shown  up  at  all  .  "  i  wouldn't  worry  though  ,  i'm  sure  they'll  be  speeding  out  of  here  in  no  time  …  this  is  just  a  little  pit  stop  on  memory  lane  to  make  them  feel  like  they  paid  their  dues  ,  "  as  if  staying  gave  her  some  sort  of  superiority  .

[simply-mira]

Okay, so clearly Mira wasn't the only one who had missed the event, because from Arbor's words, it sounded like they had as well. "Same, only because there hasn't really been much of a freak out in Lincoln City for a while and I'd like to see everyone panic over a severe storm warning." Apparently the school went into full lock down mode? She wasn't even aware that was something the school could do, unless all these new investors and the remodel played a part in that.

"Apparently the police showed up too, and demanded no one leave town. So, at least we'll have some entertainment in the mean time." Placing a few carton's of blackberries in her bag, Mira pushed back a yawn. She wasn't a fan of waking up early on her days off, but it was the only way she felt like a functioning member of society. "Why'd you miss it?"

Arbor had gotten in late, fully intending to show up for the school event, but he had loose ends to tie up before leaving his LA living behind. His podcast on an official hiatus now, all of the meetings they had scheduled canceled or over with, they stood near the apples, turning a particularly red one over in their hands, debating buying it as if it was the most important decision of their life.

"It did, didn't it?" They responded, apple carefully placed back atop the stack, their gaze shifting to Mira, studying her expression. He had heard the bare minimum about what had gone down, and couldn't say he cared enough to ask for more details. "I hate I missed it."

[simply-mira]

could the reason everyone seemed to believe every word that came out of his mouth, be that he believed every word that came out of his mouth? every little dig that seemed to leave mira's lips, michael had a response that did not give anything away. and no one was that good, not if they're lying, right? eyes narrowing as he turned the conversation back on her, she pushed her hair out of her face and didn't break eye contact as she did. "well, i'm helping save lies, you're what? praying for them?" normally, she wouldn't throw the whole medical worker hero complex bullshit around, because the surgeon's she worked under did it enough for everyone, but michael had always irritated her and she just wanted to see him frazzled. the second his hands found her shoulder, she didn't hesitate to shrug him off, her body leaning away from his touch incase he tried it again. "did mother mary ever teach you about consent?" was it because he was a man or a religious figure that he felt it was okay to touch her? sighing to calm down, mira counted to three in her head before continuing. "what brought this whole thing on, by the way? you never struck me as the religious type before."

the  complexity  ,  the  reason  that  nobody  would  probably  ever  follow  mira's  thought  process  was  that  ,  michael  in  a  way  ,  was  what  he  pretended  to  be  .  there  was  no  separation  between  who  he  wanted  to  be  and  what  was  reality  ,  his  goodness  all  just  a  tribute  to  what  could  have  appeared  to  be  his  conscience  .  "  i  think  you're  asking  all  the  wrong  questions  …  so  interested  in  me  …  it  makes  me  really  worried  about  you  ,  mira  .  are  you  happy  with  all  the  choices  you've  made  in  your  life  ?  "  and  the  crease  in  his  forehead  is  so  gentle  and  so  light  that  it  feels  like  a  genuine  ,  caring  ,  compassionate  enquiry  .  it  was  so  hard  to  tell  with  michael  ,  what  side  of  the  line  you  fell  on  and  when  it  would  all  flip  upside  down  .  she  was  right  about  the  work  it  had  taken  him  and  the  dedication  that  it  required  to  get  to  where  he  had  .  it  was  no  easy  thing  ,  no  flippant  choice  that  you  could  just  throw  away  …  to  most  .  "  i  really  appreciate  your  concern  for  me  …  but  you  don't  need  to  worry  ,  "  he  reaches  out  ,  his  hand  lightly  touching  her  shoulder  ,  a  reassuring  squeeze  ,  "  i'm  going  to  be  just  fine  and  my  faith  will  get  me  through  all  the  tests  that  life  has  to  offer  me  .  if  i'm  rewarded  for  that  ,  it's  just  part  of  mother  mary's  plans  for  me  .  "

[simply-mira]

which classmates do you regret not getting to know better?

Hmm, there are a lot of people I wish I had gotten the courage to get to know in high school. Recently I've found I like spending time with Zeppelin, and wonder what it would have been like if we started talking sooner. Same goes for Kiara. @zeppclin @kiarajyshi

[simply-mira]

setting: after the alumni event tagged: rhys carter @rhyscarter

it had been a long day. mira had just gotten through with her shift, and all she wanted after picking up her prescription from the drug store was to go home and take a long bath and then pass out. seriously, fuck fourteen hour shifts. but the hospital was seveirely understaffed and even if she wanted to complain about it, they didn't have enough employee's to make the change. and it's not like her charge nurse would care enough either.

yawning deeply, the raven haired woman tried not to fall asleep where she was standing as she waited in the line of, what felt like, a dozen other people in town that had all just gotten out of work and were picking up their prescriptions as well. letting her eyes close for a second, she heard someone cough behind her, to clearly get attention and she opened them again to move forward. only this time when she opened them, she saw a familiar face nearby. "rhys?"

kind of funny, to see him in the place they had once worked. almost poetic. finally able to grab her order, she thanked the pharmacist and then made her way over to her old coworker. "hey stranger, i didn't realize you were back in town."

[simply-mira]

for a moment, mira had forgotten who the other woman's father was and why she would need the alumni even to be considered a success, and then reality came back down and simply nodded her head. "i doubt the festivities would have been quiet for long, considering everyone and their mom posts any inconvenience online. it only takes on person to let the cat of the bag, right?"

mira couldn't help but feel thankful that social media, while popular in high school, hadn't reached the peak it is at now. if it had, she was certain the secrets of that night would have been spilled ten years ago.

"and no, no contact from the cops yet. i wonder if i'm immune to this whole thing since i wasn't actually at the event." she was hoping that was the case. the idea of being questioned wasn't really ideal. "what about you? anything?"

isa hadn't planned on making an appearance at the farmer's market that afternoon. it seemed that around every corner was a new member of the class of 2014, their small town made even smaller by the don't leave town police order. and though isa was reaping the benefits, her social calendar more full than ever, there were also some downsides.

like the fact that she was expected to operate as if everything was business as usual when asked about that night.

the new night, not the old one. the reunion night.

"it was certainly... something," she acknowledged carefully, placing a reject pepper back into the pile from whence it came. isa had very high standards when it came to produce. "sadly, now that word has spread about the end of night festivities, i'm not sure that we can classify the evening as a success. have the police sought you out yet? it seems as though everyone from the class of 2014 will need to be reinterviewed."